For those who have read my waffle over the last couple of years, you are probably going to be very surprised by what’s coming in this article. It’s very different from the usual snippets you find in the racing world, given we’re all about trying to find that small edge to sneak in front of the bookies/tote.

For many years I’ve been indifferent to the ‘other’ side of life. Things like relationships, emotions, etc. It’s been about chasing the money in all sorts of different ways and means. That includes attempting to stem the losses of extremely bad punting and somehow find a way of winning something. Anything in fact. Towards the end of 2009, a number of things began to unravel that have had a profound impact on the way I look at life. In particular, the punt. The Spring Carnival wasn’t a good one. If Shocking had wilted in the last 200m of the Cup, it would have been close to a total wipeout. God bless his heart though. Even though there was a still a pulse in the carcass, the psyche was fragile. Very fragile. However, there was more to come that would rock the foundations even further.

The discovery of a financial black hole (unrelated to the punt) would see decisions that were scheduled for April—May 2010 would have to be brought forward in a hurry. An immediate fire sale was a distinct possibility. Not really a good place to be to state the obvious. Just to top it all off and make a real good thing of a very bad run, within a week of the unearthing of this priceless nugget, along comes a relationship breakup that blindsided me. Certainly didn’t see that one coming. Whatever form of self esteem I had left was gone. Out the door. In the bin. Finished. Even though I resisted the temptation, I could clearly see the purpose of the booze. Still reeling from these belters, along comes some unexpected joy.

The very next week a number of investments in the US that had been going nowhere fast for months all of a sudden grew legs. They were serious contributors to the financial black hole so this was a great morale booster. The fire sale was averted – just in time. Not two days later, a wonderful (albeit small) opportunity with a footy club landed in my lap. After deliberating for all of two minutes, it was very easy to say yes to that.

And then the big one. I had given myself six months to work out an exit strategy from my employer at the time. Come June 2010, I had reckoned the tap on the shoulder was coming my way due to a lack of work in the pipeline. Moving interstate or even overseas was not out of the question. These things happen and I wasn’t really fussed as I had been down this road previously. The resume was updated and the searching and application process begun. I kid you not, but within three days of this beginning, I had a phone call from a hotel group wanting to know if I was available for an interview the next day. Certainly couldn’t hurt, now could it? At the end of the interview, the indications were that I was the preferred candidate. It was a wonderful opportunity (which included a pay rise too) but rather than go the early crow and get too excited, I kept a low profile until the follow up interview four days later.

I’d suggest that new jobs typically take three to four months to land, and this is if things go well. Not only did this all come off, but I started the new job two months after submitting the original application.

This in itself was amazing. But remember that I had allowed for this to take the best part of six months!

So, I’ve gone from being a month away from being broke and given the Khyber Pass by the girlfriend to selling up property in the U.S. (for a profit too), to getting a small gig with a footy club and then landing a new job with endless opportunities. All within the space of three weeks.

Talk about the agony and ecstasy of life….Ronan Keating’s song called “Life is a Rollercoaster” certainly applied here. As he says, ‘you’ve just got to ride it’. It’s weird, as for years, I seemed to be immune to these things in a lot of ways due to not really putting myself out there. I’ve never experienced anything like this before and may not ever again. It was quite incredible.

Whilst all this was going on, I lost a lot of interest on the punt. So much so, the ratings expired and I didn’t bother renewing them. I think I had four bets in total from Sandown Cup day through to Boxing Day. I’d usually be having four bets every 15 minutes. Punting is no longer as important that it once was. Instead of being concerned with who won what and at what price, whether it was rated or not, I’m actually quite comfortable now, not being bothered by it all.

It’s difficult to say whether I’m overreacting and that these are ‘normal’ things that happen to other people, but I suppose everything is relative. One thing is for sure though and that is that I have gained a very different perspective of life. Do I still have a bet? Yes, of course. I mean, what else does one do when there’s nothing else going on? Does it bother me if I miss a race? No, not any more. There will be another one shortly thereafter.

I recently spent Slipper day (Easter Saturday) at an engagement party. Normally, I would have had 50 bets for the day and tracked who won/lost. I had three. It was a great day because I actually didn’t care who won or lost and simply enjoyed myself at the party. The fact that two of them won was immaterial, but very welcome nonetheless.

The relationship bust up still affects to me to this day for many reasons which I won’t table here. Lots of things happen for all sorts of reasons and I’m slowly accepting this failure to be a part of the necessary changes that had to be made. Sometimes, it takes a colenough, I don’t feel embarrassed one bit by sharing this story. And nor should anyone else who goes through the ups and downs that life throws at you.

I know I’m very lucky to have the most wonderful family and friends one could ever ask for who have provided the greatest support imaginable whenever it’s been needed. The moral of all this is that we all shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that family and friends are much more important than a horse race or football game. Treasure them – they are the best winner you will ever back.